The present invention is a nautical navigation aid with both photoluminescent and enhanced light trapping qualities that is used to enhance the safety of nautical travelers on waterways in conditions where visibility is limited.
The inventor conceived the present invention while on duty as a vessel operator with the United States Customs and Border Protection. As a vessel operator with the United States Customs and Border Protection, the inventor has spent countless hours navigating various waterways during a myriad of weather conditions and particularly the inventor has navigated waterways throughout the spectrum of visible light associated with the different locales, seasons, and time of day of the waterways of the United States and its territories.
In order for nautical travelers to safely navigate the waterways of the United States and its territories, a system known as the U.S. Aids to Navigation System has been employed by the United States Coast Guard. This system comprises a simple arrangement of colors, shapes, numbers, and light characteristics to mark navigable channels, waterways, as well as the known obstructions in the bodies of water. This system can provide a nautical traveler with the same type of information an automobile driver obtains from street signs, stop signals, road barriers, detour signs and traffic signals.
After more than 20 years of navigating various waterways, as a vessel operator with the United States Customs and Border Protection, the inventor has observed that the existing aids to navigation, specifically the Daybeacon (a non-lighted nautical sign permanently affixed to the earth's surface), is effective in ideal conditions, i.e. sunny, dry, conditions with good visibility, but is less effective in conditions with limited visibility, namely foggy conditions or other conditions where there is limited daylight.
A navigation aid that cannot be seen is as effective as not having an aid, for it does not convey the intended safety information to the nautical travelers on the waterways. Failing to convey the intended safety information to nautical travelers can have disastrous results including property damage, severe injury and even death.
As a vessel operator with the United States Customs and Border Protection, the inventor has witnessed accident scenes that resulted from nautical travelers failing to see navigation aids. After witnessing such horrors, the inventor realized that an improvement to the existing signage used to navigate the waterways is desperately needed.
Throughout his years as a vessel operator with the United States Customs and Border Protection, the inventor has navigated waterways at night using the “stand and shine” method. This method essentially consists of a procedure where a nautical traveler stands up while navigating his vessel and shines a light into the open waters and searches for reflective beacons to serve as indications of the navigable waterways. The problems with this method are obvious. Firstly, if the nautical traveler is alone, it is difficult to stand, shine, locate, and navigate the vessel all at the same time. Secondly, the reflective beacon only serves as a navigation aid as long as the light is shined in the beacons' direction and the moment the light is no longer shining on the reflective beacon, it effectively ceases to exist. As stated above, horrors may result if the nautical traveler cannot discern information from the navigational aids.
After years of navigating the waterways of the United States and its territories in conditions of limited visibility using the “stand and shine” method, the inventor realized that a navigation aid with both photoluminescent and enhanced light trapping qualities would enhance the safety of nautical travelers navigating the waterways of the United States and its territories.
The inventor realized that incorporating a photoluminescent element to the conventional Daybeacon would allow for enhanced visibility when a light source was directed towards the Daybeacon. The inventor also realized that incorporating a light wave redirecting means would allow for a broader range of light waves to be directed to the photoluminescent element, including light waves that were not directly shined on the Daybeacon.
As such, the need for the constant shining inherent in the “stand and shine” method as well as the associated dangers using the “stand and shine” would be greatly reduced because once a light source is directed towards the enhanced navigation aid or the light wave redirecting means, the light source would charge the photoluminescent element and the photoluminescent element of the current invention would remain illuminated thereby providing the nautical travelers with the much needed information from the navigation aid in a safer, longer lasting manner than that which the conventional Daybeacon can offer.
The inventor also envisioned an embodiment of the current invention that could be used to retrofit existing nautical signs.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a navigation aid to nautical travelers that is visible in less than ideal conditions.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a navigation aid to nautical travelers that remains illuminated after the light source has been removed.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a navigation aid to nautical travelers that can capture light waves from a light source that are not directly shined on the navigational aid.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a photoluminescent enhancement that can be adapted to retrofit existing nautical signs.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a navigation aid that reduces the dangers associated with the “stand and shine” method of navigating waterways in less than ideal visibility conditions.
Information relevant to attempts to address these objectives can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,243,457, 6,656,566, and 7,587,845. However, none of these references teaches a device with a light wave re-directing means to direct light waves that are not directly shined on the device and none of the references teaches a device that can be used to retrofit existing nautical sign.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a nautical navigation aid with both a photoluminescent element and light wave re-directing means for improved photoluminescence to enhance the safety of nautical travelers on waterways in conditions where visibility is limited.